1. Field
Embodiments of this invention generally relate to laser cataract surgery, and more particularly to a method of laser-assisted lens fragmentation.
2. Description of Related Art
Eye disease can impair a patient's vision. For example, a cataract can increase the opacity of an ocular lens, and eventually, cause blindness. To restore the patient's vision, the diseased lens may be surgically removed and replaced with an artificial lens, known as an intraocular lens, or IOL. A number of medically recognized techniques are utilized for removing a cataractous lens based on, for example, phacoemulsification, mechanical cutting or destruction, laser treatments, water jet treatments, and so on.
A typical cataract surgery involves removing the eye's natural lens while leaving in place the back of the capsule which holds the lens in place. Using certain procedures, such as laser treatments along with phacoemulsification, for example, the cataract can be broken into tiny pieces that can be removed from the eye through a relatively small incision. In cataract surgery using phacoemulsification, the surgeon makes a small incision in the white portion of the eye near the outer edge of the cornea. An ultrasonic probe is then inserted through this opening and ultrasonic frequencies are used to break up the cataract into tiny pieces. The emulsified material can be simultaneously suctioned from the eye, typically using the open tip of the same instrument. To reduce the amount of ultrasonic energy used to break up the cataract, the lens can be softened and/or fragmented using a laser prior to application of ultrasonic energy. As such, the hard central core of the cataract (the nucleus) is removed first, followed by extraction of the softer, peripheral cortical fibers that make up the remainder of the lens. As compared to other forms of cataract surgery, laser-assisted cataract provides faster healing and rehabilitation as well as reduced discomfort.